Send a submission on behalf of greyhounds in SA.

South Australia’s greyhound racing industry has been under intense scrutiny for several years. In 2023, revelations of greyhounds being physically abused prompted an independent inquiry, which subsequently made 87 recommendations aimed at improving animal welfare, governance and accountability. The industry was given two years to clean up its act. That period has now ended.

While Greyhound Racing SA says it has implemented the recommendations, the independent Greyhound Industry Reform Inspector’s final assessment had not yet been delivered when the deadline passed. As recently as April, independent verification indicated that 17 recommendations had not been implemented. Many of those recommendations that have not been implemented are crucial to the welfare of dogs — such as breeding caps, enforcement of welfare standards, reporting on injuries, minimum requirements on kennel sizes, and improving the care and rehoming for dogs no longer wanted by the racing industry.

Concerningly, the South Australian Government recently announced that racing will continue under a new watchdog, pre-empting this Parliamentary Inquiry and undermining the democratic process. The government needs to hear from concerned South Australians during this inquiry to know that the pre-emptive announcement was unacceptable, as is permitting the continued suffering of greyhounds.

Greyhounds are still being injured and killed. In 2025, 1,064 on-track injuries were recorded in South Australia, including 316 major injuries and five on-track deaths. Between January and March 2026, a further 259 injuries were recorded, 16% more than in the previous quarter.

These figures raise a fundamental question: can reform ever adequately protect dogs in an industry where injury, overbreeding and the commercial pressure to race are built into the system?

The evidence points to one clear solution: a managed phase-out of greyhound racing in South Australia by 2029. This would allow racing and breeding to wind down, while giving time to safely rehome dogs and support people currently reliant on the industry to transition.

If you’d like to strengthen your letter even further, we suggest you:

1. Introduce yourself. Briefly explain who you are and why greyhound welfare matters to you.
2. Explain your concerns in your own words. You might refer to injuries and deaths, the limits of reform, overbreeding, transparency, rehoming or the broader treatment of dogs within the racing industry.
3. Clearly tell the Committee what you want to see happen. Ask the Committee to recommend a managed phase-out of greyhound racing in South Australia by 2029, with strong protections for dogs throughout the transition and appropriate support for affected workers and participants.
4. Ask the Committee to recommend a managed phase-out of greyhound racing in South Australia by 2029, with strong protections for dogs throughout the transition and appropriate support for affected workers and participants.

Please note that submissions will generally be made publicly available unless the Committee determines otherwise.

Greyhounds are gentle, social dogs whose lives should not be defined by their ability to race or generate gambling revenue.

South Australia now has an opportunity to choose a different future.

By making a submission, you can help show Parliament that the community wants meaningful, lasting protection for greyhounds and a future where dogs are valued for who they are, not what they can earn.

Thank you for speaking up for dogs.